It’s Saturday afternoon and you decided to go shopping. What seemed to be a lovely idea at first, ultimately turned into a day of confusion and frustration. The constant running in and out of the fitting room to find the perfect fitting pants has inevitable left you running towards the leggings section, because you know, what can go wrong with something stretchy? Nothing compares to finding clothing that actually works for you, it is a simple thought but such a difficult one to execute. Every brand is different and despite what the tag might say, no TWO SIZES ever feels the same between different designers. You could be a size eight in one designer and a six in another. It’s exhausting and hard to keep track of which size you are and in which designer.
As a designer, stylist and founder of The Tailory New York, I rarely go shopping by myself, I am in fact mostly shopping with my friends, family and clients. I always say to them, the first rule of dressing well is making sure your clothes fit well! This has proven rather difficult though with vanity sizing in the market place today. Vanity sizing refers to a marketing tool utilized by retailers in which they make clothes bigger, yet mark them as a smaller size to create a euphoric feeling in men and women about being smaller, thus encouraging them to buy more. Messed up, I know. To combat this, I have always recommended to get your clothing custom-made, especially investment pieces like Suits, Overcoats and Dresses…anything tailored really. The benefit of getting something custom tailored is there are no sizes and you are no longer defined by a specific number. Custom fit is your secret weapon to looking and feeling 100 times more confident than you did before.
In the event that you must shop off the rack, do yourself a favor and at least get it tailored to fit you. Trust me, it will go a long way.
Here are three tips to tailoring to keep you looking your best:
- Size Up: It is always easier to take something in than letting out. So, don’t be afraid to buy one size up to take it down.
- Hem It: Lengthening and shortening your garment is the easiest alteration and it makes all the difference in the world. For example, a perfect pant length that falls right at the shoe but not dragging can help elongate your body.
- Cost analysis: Tailoring your clothing should not cost more than 50 percent of what you paid for it. More cost equates to more alterations and the more you alter your garment, the further you get away from the integrity of the pattern. I usually suggest a rule of three alterations per garment. If it needs more than that, leave it.
HAUTE TV
November 2, 2015Haute Living Presents Vincent Piazza
